Pet Photography

Business At A Glance

Pet Photography

Startup Costs: $2,000 – $10,000Home Based: Can be operated from home.Part Time: Can be operated part-time.Online Operation? No

Business Overview

As an animal lover, I cannot imagine a business that would be more fun and rewarding than operating a pet photography service. Unfortunately, I am not a very good photographer, but if you are and you love pets, then what are you waiting for? Start a pet photography service!

Owners of dogs, cats, reptiles, horses, champion livestock, birds, and even fish can all be potential customers. Full-time or part-time, operate the service on a mobile basis, from a homebased studio, or from pet shops, or combine all to cover all the bases.

Making the experience fun for pets and their owners will also go a long way toward securing repeat business and a ton of referrals, so liven things up with pet costumes, themed backdrops, and by offering pet videotaping services, complete with music, titles, and special effects. Likewise, to boost profit potential also offer a wide assortment of products that customers can have their pets’ photographic images transferred onto’key tags, greeting cards, calendars, mugs, hats, T-shirts, sports bags, and bumper stickers.

The Market

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Dog Training Classes

Business At A Glance

Dog Training Classes

Startup Costs: $2,000 – $10,000Home Based: Can be operated from home.Part Time: Can be operated part-time.Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Becoming a dog trainer and starting a business teaching people how to train their dogs can be both a personally rewarding lifestyle and a profitable business to operate. There are millions of dogs in North America and, while a great number of them are well trained, there are an equal number of dogs and owners that would certainly benefit from participating in a training or obedience instruction program.

As the adopted owner of a 90-pound, extremely strong and stubborn Rottweiler, I can personally attest to the many benefits that both myself and Dana have received by enlisting the services of a professional trainer who ran both of us through the trenches, so to speak. The starting point for launching a dog training business is to first become a professional certified trainer.

While this is not an expensive or difficult certificate to acquire, it does require you to have a love for dogs and a desire to assist dogs and dog owners to lead a more rewarding and enjoyable coexistence. The training classes can be conducted from a fixed training location or on a mobile basis wherein you go to the client’s home.

In both cases the current rates for one-on-one training are in the range of $30 to $40 per hour, while group rates (up to six) work out to approximately $5 to $10 per hour per student. Selling books on training and obedience topics to clients, as well as specialty dog foods and equipment such as leashes and collars, can also generate additional revenue.

Dog Walker

Business At A Glance

Dog Walker

Startup Costs: Under $2,000Home Based: Can be operated from home.Part Time: Can be operated part-time.Online Operation? No

Business Overview

A dog-walking service is perfectly suited for people with time, patience, and a love for dogs. Best of all, with an investment of just a few hundred dollars you can be up and running your own full- or part-time dog-walking service in no time.

There are various styles of multilead dog walking collars and leashes available that will allow three or more dogs to be walked at the same time without becoming tangled in the leash. Acquiring this equipment is important because it will reduce frustration and enable you to walk many dogs at the same time, which in turn will increase revenues and profits.

Design a promotional flier detailing your dog-walking service and qualifications, and distribute the fliers to businesses that are frequented by dog owners, such as grooming locations, kennels, pet food stores, animal shelters, and community centers. Once word is out about your dog-walking service, it should not take long to establish a base of 20 or 30 regular clients. Dog-walking rates are in the range of $6 to $12 per hour, per dog. Again, walking multiple dogs at a time gives you your best income and profit potential.

Dog Run Sales And Installation

Business At A Glance

Dog Run Sales And Installation

Startup Costs: $2,000 – $10,000Home Based: Can be operated from home.Part Time: Can be operated part-time.Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Initiating and operating a business that focuses on manufacturing and retailing predesigned and constructed dog runs can be a very lucrative enterprise to start. The business can be started by anyone regardless of experience. Dog runs are not only easily designed, but equally easy to build.

Once the dog runs have been constructed, they can be disassembled and packaged for convenient shipping and fast installation on a customer’s site. A key requirement in the design process of this type of product is to separate your product from the competitions’. In the case of dog runs, this could simply mean installing a sunshade or building in a food and water dish.

Dog runs can be sold through local or national retail accounts, such as pet stores and animal shelters. Furthermore, this type of specialty product is also suited to internet marketing, mail-order sales, and related exhibition trade shows. The profit potential will greatly vary on a number of factors including product pricing, number of units sold, and market demand. However, dog runs are a necessary piece of equipment for many dog owners, breeders and kennels, and the market has already been proven and established.